REP fitness sports plates vs TITAN Economy bumper plates
This is a comparison between the REP fitness sports plates and the TITAN Economy bumper plates. Follow the links for more details.
Overview of the TITAN Economy bumper plates
This is an overview of the TITAN Economy bumper plates including pros, cons, and alternatives. It was published first under which titan plates to get. Follow the links for more details.
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Overview of the Titan economy plates
Price $44.99 - $474.99
The
economy bumper plates from TITAN are the ideal weight plates to start your home gym. They are cheap and cheerful and therefore can be bought en masse or on a small budget to start a home gym. These plates are available from 10lb to 100lb with the same diameter and varying thickness. They will fit a standard Olympic barbell and most plate trees and storage solutions for plates. They are also available for purchase in a 230lband 260 lb set. The full specifications are:
Low Bounce Rate
Stainless-Steel Insert
Extremely durable
Olympic barbell size
Quieter than steel plates
Sold in pairs of 10, 15, 25, 35, 45-pounds
Diameter: 450mm / 17.75-in.
Width: 1 – 5.25-in.
Collar Opening: 50 mm
Color: Black
Material: Rubber with steel insert
10-POUNDS:
Width: 1-in.
15-POUNDS:
Width: 1.25-in.
25-POUNDS:
Width: 1.78-in.
35-POUNDS:
Width: 2.75-in.
45-POUNDS:
Width: 3.5-in.
100-POUNDS:
Width: 5.25-in.
If you want to start your home gym on a budget, this is where to look. You can not beat Titan on Price in many categories and this is one of them. If you are looking for plates to continuously from overhead, these might not be the ones.
Pros of the TITAN bumper Plates
The pros of the TITAN bumper plates are:
- Low price
- Outdoor / Indoor use
- Available up to 100 pounds
- Lower injury risk
One of the biggest pros for the entire TITAN fitness brand is its low price compared to competitors like Eleiko or Rogue. Especially on comparable plates, the Titan versions come out at almost half of the purchase price of a like for like comparison. This is especially good if you want to equip a home gym on a very low budget and want some variety in your training. With TITAN your wallet will remain intact. Commercial gyms will appreciate that you can get quite a bit of tonnage for a low price with TITAN.
Bumper plates themselves are practical as you can use them indoors and outdoors. They are a lot more forgiving in the heat or in damp places compared to Iron plates. If you need to build your gym in an outhouse or in a basement with unfinished walls, bumper plates are probably the better bet. In addition, you can also take them outside for a workout and leave them there without feeling too guilty about it.
Another bonus is that TITAN also offers a 100lb bumper version of their plates. This is unusual as most other vendors offer this size as an Iron plate. If you lift very heavy you can use these to make it a little easier on the wrists when you bring the weight back down to the ground. Get one pair of the big bumpers on and then stack iron plates to the desired heavy load. This is a little more forgiving on your body and the floor in the long run. Apart from this, I see little use in heavy bumper plates as they take up too much space on the sleeve.
Bumper plates are also less risky to handle then Iron plates. When you get your fingers between two iron plates or knock your shin/toe against them, you are usually hurt. Bumper plates give in a little more and therefore are good for beginners or when you have teenagers training in your gym.
Cons of the TITAN economy Plates
The cons of the TITAN bumper plates are:
- Quality issues
- Sleeve space
- Olympic training
- Black
You get what you pay for and while you save quite a bit of money on the TITAN bumpers they are also more likely to break. In a commercial gym that might not be as bad, as you constantly have to renew equipment anyway, but in a home gym you might not want to have to buy your plates twice over the time of 3 years. Especially the rims where the barbells are inserted are more likely to deform than with other brands. If you do not intend to drop these, you might as well consider iron plates, which are cheaper per pound and get more weight on the barbell.
Bumper plates also take up more sleeve space compared to Iron plates for the same amount of weight. If you mainly train the bench press, deadlift, and squat with 400lb or more, consider getting iron plates instead of bumper plates. When you get to 400lbs it gets tight on the sleeves when you bumper plates only.
These bumper plates are not ideal for Olympic weightlifting. They will do, but suffer more when dropped from overhead. This is based on the core of the plate. The core of bumper plates is made of rubber with a thin metal inlay where the barbell is inserted.
Olympic plates have a metal core with rubber around it. This makes the bumper plates more likely to come apart when dropped repeatedly from overhead. Still, it will take some time until you have broken them. So if you don't go through 100 overhear lifts a week or more, I would still say you can get these plates for our once a week Oly session.
The last disadvantage is that these plates are plain black. If you want some color in your life you can get the
colored bumper plates from TITAN instead. Especially in a home gym scenario I always recommend this as it is just more fun than having everything in black. But I guess that is more a question of taste than anything else.
Alternatives to the TITAN economy Bumper plates
Alternatives to the TITAN bumper plates are:
the
elite bumper plates from TITAN are the right choice if you put in a lot of Holy lifts per week. They are built robustly and take the beating from the drops. They cost considerably more than the
economy bumper plates, but they will also take a bigger beating. The only difference to real competition
Olympic weightlifting plates is that they are not colored. Compared to similar options from Eleiko and Rogue you save considerably.
If you want a bit more color in your life you can get the
color economy plates from TITAN. They only cost slightly more, have the same specs than the black ones, but come in the official color denominations for the different weights of the plates. This would be my personal choice from TITAN if I was building a gym on a budget.
Cast Iron plates are a good option for anyone with limited space and budget. They are not great to look at and also a bit more awkward to handle. In return, you get the clanging and banging of metal and the maximum amount of weight you could possibly put on your barbell.
Conclusion for the TITAN bumper plates
The
TITAN Economy bumper plates are a great option for anyone who wants to build a home gym on a budget. Especially if you train only three times a week and do not abuse your equipment a lot, these plates are great. In a commercial setting, these plates are great for general training where things will get knocked up anyway. If you want plates that you can drag the mud, use in the rain or extreme heat without feeling guilty., get these. If you want to impress, hold a competition, or beat the crap out of your plates, go upmarket.
Overview and review of the REP fitness sports plates
This is an overview of the REP fitness sports plates including pros, cons, and alternatives. The original was published under which plates to buy from rep fitness. Follow the links for more details.
Sport plates $69
The
REP sport plates fill the gap between competition plates and bumper plates by being super durable, forgiving when you use them outside, and still being decent when dropped from overhead. The only two negatives about these plates are price and how they travel during an Olympic lift. The full specifications of these plates are:
-
Ultra-durable. Seriously.
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Textured rubber around the outer edge for easy handling.
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Low bounce.
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Great for commercial use.
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Up to 10% quieter than standard black bumpers when dropped from overhead.
If you are intending to outfit a boutique gym and want to impress your clients without getting competition plates, then these are the ones. For a home gym, I would be a bit more specific about what you mostly do what your plates and make my investment from there.
Pros of the REP Sport plates
The pros of the rep sport plates are:
These rubber plates have been done from a mold that emulates the shape and feel of
competition bumper plates. The only big difference is that there is no metal disc in the middle. This makes them easier to ease outdoors and more forgiving when used for anything else than Olympic lifts.
Compared to regular
bumpers these plates are also color-coded. This looks cooler and also has some practical value to keep the plates apart when you are training.
As these plates are full rubber they really can take a punch. If you are expecting these plates to be maltreated a lot, then go for these instead of r
egular bumpers.
The price on these plates compared to
competition plates is about half. If you rebuilding a home gym that trains everything under the sun give these plates a serious look before you buy c
ompetition bumpers or regular bumpers.
Cons of the REP Sport plates
These plates are not IWF certified and hit differently for Olympic lifts than
competition plates. When you clean or snatch these pates there just a little different from how they fight gravity compared to
competition plates. This is minimal, but minimal counts if you are an elite Olympic lifter. Still, that does not apply to most of the population out there.
Compared to r
egular bumper plates and
iron plates these are still a lot more expensive. So ask yourself if you really really need plates with a low bounce and 10% less sound when dropped. 10% less sound still means loud enough to wake the kids and annoy the neighbors without a drop pad. If you get a drop pad, why get the sports plates? If you don't lift overhead, why not just get
iron plates?
Compared to
iron plates these plates take up more space on the bar. If you lift more than 5 plates on each side on a regular basis this becomes and you should opt for
iron plates. Again the exception, rather than the norm.
Alternatives to the REP Sport plates
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REP Iron plates
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-
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TITAN competition plates
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If you want to stay with REP seriously ask yourself what you use your plates for. Chances are high that you should get
bumpers or
Iron plates instead based on your use case. The only exception is a boutique or strength gym that charges a high membership. This is the plate to get to keep clients happy without breaking the bank.
If you would like
black plates with color coding and a metal insert, then the
Rogue black training plates are for you. I have these plates myself as they were the only ones available when I started my Rogue-themed gym and they were a bit of an indulgence. But I train 5 times a week, run a fitness blog, and try to impress people on my social media channels. Unless you don't care that much about the money they are not really for the average joe. If you want to indulge yourself as a personal lifter, have a look at the mechanized Rogue iron plates.
TITAN also offers competition plates
iron plates and
bumper plates.
TITAN is cheap and has more quality issues compared to Rogue and REP based on my research. I personally think
TITAN has to be seen as an "I want the best package deal on my home gym" approach.
Conclusion for the REP Sport plates
The
REP sport plates are a great option for the boutique gym that wants to tell their clients "this is why you train here and not around the corner". A dedicated all-around athlete at home will also appreciate the money saved compared to competition plates and not feeling cheap for getting
regular bumpers. IN most cases
Iron plates or
bumper plates are the better choices based on what you are using them for to save money for things like kettlebells, a nice barbell, or an adjustable bench on your cart.